Philippine villagers in fear of mines, attacks
Thursday, August 14, 2008
THOUSANDS of villagers who fled their homes in the war-ravaged southern Philippines are not returning for fear of landmines and new attacks by rebels, officials said yesterday.
Although Muslim guerrillas have retreated from villages they occupied last week in the province of North Cotabato, government soldiers are still meeting small pockets of resistance.
Scores of houses in mainly poor rural villages have been either burned to the ground or looted and crops destroyed by the retreating rebels.
The military said that as the rebels retreated Tuesday and yesterday they planted booby traps and landmines in deserted villages and roads.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels occupied the villages last week after the Supreme Court halted the signing of an agreement meant to pave the way for a political settlement to end its 30-year struggle for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.
About 160,000 people have been made homeless by the fighting, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, and the United Nations World Food Programme is transporting food into relief centres in the province.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the movement's leadership had not sanctioned the occupation of farms, and accused pro-government militiamen of starting the conflict.
"It was the militia that started the fighting... not the MILF," he said on local radio.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and other senior officials visited many of the evacuation centres yesterday to meet refugees.AFP
Although Muslim guerrillas have retreated from villages they occupied last week in the province of North Cotabato, government soldiers are still meeting small pockets of resistance.
Scores of houses in mainly poor rural villages have been either burned to the ground or looted and crops destroyed by the retreating rebels.
The military said that as the rebels retreated Tuesday and yesterday they planted booby traps and landmines in deserted villages and roads.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels occupied the villages last week after the Supreme Court halted the signing of an agreement meant to pave the way for a political settlement to end its 30-year struggle for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.
About 160,000 people have been made homeless by the fighting, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, and the United Nations World Food Programme is transporting food into relief centres in the province.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the movement's leadership had not sanctioned the occupation of farms, and accused pro-government militiamen of starting the conflict.
"It was the militia that started the fighting... not the MILF," he said on local radio.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and other senior officials visited many of the evacuation centres yesterday to meet refugees.AFP
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